Beauty And The Beast
by nyxkitty
Summary: After a mission in Vietnam goes bad, the Expendables are being hunted. Their only chance at survival is to trust each other, but how do you trust a killer who only cares about their freedom? Gunnar has his eye on Belle Morte, and unfortunately - she's got her only eye on him. Out of ammo, with no backup and no escape route - the Expendables are in for the fight of their lives.
1. Pickup

**D/C**: I do not own Expendables.

**A/N**: Apologies for those who had favourited or followed Knights in Black Kevlar, and/or Beauty and the Beast - but when the bitch-goddess that is my muse demands action, I submit without question. Unfortunately, it clashed with a time when I was in the wrong headspace where all I could see was faults - so I wiped all the stories from my account. They're all backed up, but I probably won't be reposting them. Basically, the slate has been wiped clean so forget everything you thought about Belle etc.

**Beauty And The Beast**

"When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death - that is heroism."

- Robert Green Ingersoll

**Chapter 1: Pickup**

"You know they'll never let you out, or admit you're innocent - but you do this job for me, and you never hear from me again." Church sat opposite her, watching her gnaw at a piece of fried chicken. He rolled his eyes as she slurped at a thickshake, cringing when the blood vessels began to swell in her head. Brain freeze, he smirked. "I can get you out, but if I do, you stay the hell away from your ex-girlfriend; you keep your head down, disappear and never make noise again."

Belle tilted her head. There was exactly two inches between her wrists, enough to turn them in either direction. She still held the broken chicken bone, a nice jagged edge to it. She glanced up at Church, then the guard. Well, if she was going to leave, why not? The bastard would do it to her, and he was a lecherous son of a bitch too. Belle shifted her feet backwards a few millimetres, pressing them flat to the ground. She lunged, stabbing the makeshift shiv into the guard's neck and puncturing his carotid. She pulled the bone out, blood spraying the right side of her face as she lunged at Church. The barrel touched the middle of her forehead, Belle pressing her head against it as she stared at him. She never dropped her gaze or moved it, just stared.

Belle smiled, the blood still spurting from the guard's artery. He'd be dead in two minutes if they didn't get him medical attention, and by the looks of it, Church wasn't game enough. She'd take them down too, and him. All she needed was a knife and the time, she'd hunt him down and when he was most vulnerable, tear his throat open and let him drown in his own blood. Or maybe, she'd go Jigsaw on his ass. Hell, she already had the skills, she just needed the right victim. He'd get what was coming, and it would be painful.

"So where's my ride, Mr Church?"

"It's landing now," he gestured as a rustbucket taxied down the runway. There were no identifying features, just an old C-130 Hercules that someone had repurposed. Painted steel grey, the plane came to a halt just metres away from Church and Belle. The back ramp was lowered and seven figures walked out.

"Who the hell are they?" Belle growled.

"Your new team, sweetheart," Church said. This would make her beg to be put back in the hot box, or maybe she'd enjoy it. Either way, he'd made the arrangements. All he needed to do now was get her on that plane and get her out of Cuba. They'd tried putting her in a mainland prison once, but she'd gone Slasherbell on their asses. Two guards and her cellmate dead, she'd been transferred to isolation. Somehow when they'd been putting handcuffs on her from outside her cell, she'd managed to kill another guard. Eventually she'd been transferred to Guantanamo, and there she'd stayed for the past two years.

"Be glad I'm letting you go, Belle, or I could always lock you back up and leave you to rot."

"Go ahead, I'll get out anyhow."

"You guaranteed me you wouldn't pull any more shit like this."

Her left foot whipped up and kicked him in the groin. "Guarantee that, asshole," Belle walked towards the plane and gave a wave to the figures standing at the bottom of the ramp. The tallest one, the blonde, waved back. Well at least one of them had some decency, couldn't say that about the rest. Belle watched the looks on their faces turn to surprise, and the look on hers turned cold. _Don't get attached_, she told herself, _just focus on getting free. Make sure you leave no survivors. Don't screw up and don't get caught again._

"What's your name?"

"Isabelle Leroux," she fake-smiled. _Liar, liar, pants on fire. _She glanced between the seven, footsteps sounded behind her as Church made his presence known. "Baldy's here, yay," she said sarcastically, "so do I get to kill these losers too?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask them? I'm sure Gunnar can give you some tips."

_"My turn," he laughed, lifting Yang up and slamming him into the wire._ Gunnar frowned, he'd changed, gotten clean. Methhead Gunnar was gone. He'd been seeing a therapist for a year now, been banging her for half that time. But her ... God, he watched Belle stand there, she was hot. Red highlights in dark auburn hair, blood on her face and an empty void where her left eye should have been. She was also missing a foot from about the shin down, he could see it in the way most of her weight was still leveraged on her right foot. Gunnar stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"Hi," he smiled awkwardly.

"Hello," she shook his hand, hands still cuffed. "What, you're not going to let me loose?" Belle glanced at Church, "oh come on, it'll be fun," she smirked.

"Here's the keys," Church tossed them to Barney. "Just watch out, she's a thief as well as a killer."

"Oh I'm not a thief," she snorted, "You got any evidence to prove it?" Belle retorted, hands on the ground and Gunnar's Bowie knife resting on top of the cuffs. The position was insanely awkward, but if she got the pressure right - she slammed her foot down on the knife, shattering the chain linking her handcuffs. "That's better," she rubbed her wrists.

"And she's arrogant," Church rolled his eyes. "If you walk behind her on her left side," he gestured, "she can't see you. No respect for authority, no qualms about killing and follows orders to the letter."

"I'm not putting her on my team."

"She speaks the language, Barney, and she's fast. Frankly, I don't think you have a lot of options."

"Get on the plane," Barney ordered.

"Yes Dad," she mock-saluted him and walked straight between them. None of them recoiled, just stood there. Gunnar walked after her, sticking to her right side. She could hear someone coming up her left, but wasn't sure who it was. The two negroids, the asian or one of the caucasians? Skin colour was just science, people didn't have names - just colour. It was how she kept her emotions locked and out of the way. Treat a corpse like a piece of meat and the enemy like target practice and you'd never be hurt.

"So, you kill anybody recently?" Gunnar said, moving to block her.

"A guard, about five minutes ago," Belle said, stepping around him and sitting down on the canvas seating. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, just want to know who we're working with," Doc said, sitting opposite her. "You a racist?"

"You think I give a shit about you or the other guy being black? Men are men, targets are targets. One of the best mercenaries I went up against was Congolese. He's dead now, but God, he could fight," she chuckled. Okay, the sex had been pretty good too - but that wasn't something you just brought up around the campfire. She wasn't the type to brag about her sexploitations, no one but her needed to know the list of women she'd slept with. It had even turned into a game with her ex-girlfriend at one point, to see how many straight women they could sleep with. They'd broken up at the time but the tension had still been there between them. "Are you a racist?" Belle looked at Doc.

"Don't care either," Doc shrugged. "Isabelle Leroux a real name?"

"Nope."

"Belle, get changed," Barney threw a duffel bag at her. "Orange ain't the new black where we're going."

Belle caught it, unzipped the bag and tipped it upside down. A flak vest, jeans, shirt - all in the correct sizes. Hell, even her old glass eye was in there, not that she wore it anymore. Death was a lot more intimidating when it only had one eye, plus there was no guarantee the eye had been sterilised. She pulled out the hairbrush, tearing at the knots that had formed. A bottle of leave-in conditioner made it easier before she tied her hair back. All seven men were back on the plane, Church only God knew where. Belle felt someone gently take her wrist, then unlock the cuffs and remove them before she stripped off and quickly got dressed. She had scars on her back, on her chest and mostly on her left leg. At some point in the past twenty nine years, she'd been tortured.

Belle sat down, fringe hanging down over her right eye so as to emphasise the absence of the left. The jeans were bootcut, stopping at the ankle. Why were they doing this, just ignoring everything about her. Most people would have been thoroughly disturbed if not horrified, yet these guys were acting like it was just a walk in the park.

"Clean yourself up," Barney tossed her a packet of baby wipes.

"So, why'd you get locked up?" Doc said, watching her clean her face.

"I lied on my résumé," Belle said, "I forgot to list 'murderer'."

"We're going to N'Orleans first, get the rest of our gear and pick up the final two members of our team," Barney explained. "You don't betray us, we won't betray you, got it?"

"Basically, don't go apeshit on our ass," Doc said bluntly.

"Got it," she smiled, "Can we get some gumbo?"

"Yeah, we'll get some gumbo," Barney rolled his eyes.

Toll glanced up from his book, made brief eye contact with Belle then went back to reading. Great, another psychopathic murderer like Gunnar, this was going to be fun. At least she seemed to be in control of the killer urges, or maybe she was a ticking time bomb. Either way, he didn't trust her farther than he could throw her.

"The bald one doesn't like me," Belle murmured to Gunnar.

"He can't hear you either," Caesar gave her a thumbs up.

_Thank God for that,_ Belle let out a sigh of relief. "I hate bald guys, something about it just puts me off. Why shave your head, are you trying to hide something? Hair is meant to be there for a reason."

"I can hear you, you know," Toll said.

"Good for you, Panda," Belle sneered.

"He's the Chinese one, why the heck are you calling me Panda?" Toll frowned.

"I told you, I'm not racist."

"So what am I?" Yang said.

She made a look as if deep in thought, then let out a chuckle. "Swiss Cheese."

"Because I'm yellow?" Yin narrowed his eyes.

"No, cause soon you're going to be full of holes."

Gunnar stared at her, a look of pure hatred on his face. Yeah, he was pissed. "You threaten my partner again and I'll hang you from the wings."

"Enough," Barney snapped from the cockpit. "Play nice, all of you. Doc, get the chip out of her arm. We don't need the CIA tracking us around the globe. So how'd you get into the trade?" Barney said, looking over his shoulder at Belle. "You're not military, that's for sure."

"Does it matter? I do this job, I'm free, you never hear from me again. I don't need you and you don't need me, and he definitely doesn't need me," she glanced at Gunnar. He was still fuming, flipping the bone-handled Bowie knife back and forth in his hand. "Let me guess, you're Fenrir."

"You really want to start your crap with me?" Gunnar said, a sadistic glint in his eyes. "Bring it, O'Malley."

"Grace is my middle name," Belle smirked.


	2. I Can Feel Your Heartbeat

**D/C**: I don't own Expendables, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear!  
><strong>AN: **I know, I keep screwing around with this fanfic - but my head is a crazy place. I've dropped nearly all Belle's ties to Conrad Stonebanks, though he may/may not make an appearance later on.

**Beauty And The Beast**

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."

- Ingrid Bergman.

**Chapter 2: I Can Feel Your Heartbeat**

"Bullshit!"  
>"Face it, Gunnar, she called it. She knows your tell," Toll said.<br>"The hell she does, she's cheating!"  
>"Hand it over, Big Bird," Belle held out her hand.<br>"I'm not giving her my knife," Gunnar snorted.  
>"Then you shouldn't have put it up as a wager," Toll said.<br>"She's cheating," Gunnar insisted.  
>"You're sitting on her left, how the hell is she cheating?" Toll retorted.<br>"She's counting cards."  
>"I don't cheat at cards, you're just a piss poor loser," Belle snapped, glaring at Gunnar.<p>

"Fine," Gunnar slammed it down on the table. "Have the fucking thing, you might want to sleep with one eye open from now on."  
>Belle unsheathed the blade. "Put your hand on the table, Gunnar."<br>"Excuse me?"  
>"Put your hand on the table and show me you trust me."<br>"I would, except for the fact I don't."  
>Toll rolled his eyes and stacked the cards, then placed his hand on the table. "Do it."<p>

The blade slid between his fingers, the movement becoming faster as Belle focused on his hand. She wasn't focusing on the knife, but the gaps between his fingers. He slid two fingers together, watching her adjust and the knife went straight between his fingers.  
>"Damn. You're good," Toll chuckled.<br>"I've had two years to practise," Belle dumped the knife on the table in front of Gunnar. "Keep it," she muttered, walking back to the canvas seating. She laid down, stretching out on the canvas.

Okay, so maybe he'd been a little quick to judge after that display. She had _some _skills, even if they didn't amount to much. How did you even fight without a left eye? You couldn't see what was behind you, or next to you. When someone snuck up on you ... Well, you didn't exactly have the upper hand. Curiosity was getting awfully close to killing the cat, and if Gunnar didn't stop himself now ... It would be Casey all over again.

"You up for a sparring match?" Gunnar approached her.  
>Belle looked up at him, "We're on a plane."<br>"So?"

Belle shrugged. Why not? She had nothing better to do, and maybe it would earn her a few brownie points with Big Bird. Sure, he had the advantage but she was smaller. She could move quicker, and getting kicked in the balls with a prosthetic foot had to hurt like a bitch. Belle folded the table up, putting it back in the crate. She removed the flak vest, stripping of her shirt and jeans to expose the sports bar and skintight shorts they'd seen before.

Gunnar's breath hitched in his throat as he kicked off his boots and stretched, glancing at Yang and Doc. "Don't step in, no matter what happens," Gunnar said loudly.  
>"Oh great, they're going to kill each other," Lee muttered to Barney.<br>"Good luck with that," Barney called out.

Belle put all her weight on her right foot, the leg with all her strengths and weaknesses. She watched Gunnar remove his shirt, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head. Muscles on top of muscles, pectorals straining against his skin and broad shoulders. So it wasn't just the height, he had a body to match. Who was he, Ultimate Sabretooth? All he needed were claws and a mullet. She watched the way his muscles folded against each other as he moved, there was raw unbridled strength is those arms. Belle had no doubt he could snap her in half if he wanted to, and the way he was looking at her was the way she looked at her victims. No regard for life, this was a fight to the brink of death.

Gunnar swung first, foot sweeping hers out from under her and sending her into the floor. She rolled on impact, just as he brought his other foot down to pin her. Belle scrambled to her feet, staying at leg's length from Gunnar. She raised her arms in a defensive position as if they were boxing.

"Bring it on, Russkie," Belle smirked.  
>Gunnar snorted, "I'm Swedish."<p>

Gunnar moved fast, getting on her blindside and hitting her twice in the ribs. Belle spun, kicking out at empty space. A hand twisted her ankle, sending her into the ground again. Shit! She kicked out, blood boiling as her frustration grew fast. He was using every disadvantage she had against her: her lack of muscle, her lack of strength, her blindside, her size and even her prosthetic foot. She hadn't fought a proper fight in over two years, and he was about to kick her ass in five minutes flat.

God help her, everything was going downhill fast. Gunnar got her twice in the back before letting her stumble, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.  
>"She's a risk to us all," Gunnar frowned, walking into the cockpit. "She can't even fight, and it would take months of training to build up whatever muscle she used to have. May as well put a bullet in her head now, because if she tags along, we'll be carrying dead weight."<br>She loathed to admit it, but every word coming out of his mouth was true. No fitness regime and no proper food had left her wasting away. Fortunately, she had skills in other areas. She was useful, just not in hand to hand combat. At least not for a few months.  
>"He kicked your ass," Doc looked at her sympathetically.<br>"No shit, Sherlock, do I look like I could win against him?"

"Eat," Gunnar shoved a can in her hand and a spoon. "I'm not getting killed 'cause you can't keep up."  
>She'd made the same mistakes every time, chosen the wrong people. Hell, her ex was proof of that. All she needed was another mistake sitting over her, and these men dying because of her would be further proof of her current incompetence.<br>"Soon as you eat that, get up and get ready to fight again."

Her nose was dripping blood into the can of beans, but she didn't care. Blood was blood, and at least it was hers so there was no chance of being infected with anything. She finished off the can, tossed it into a garbage bag and stood. Gunnar had her on the ground in two seconds flat, his foot resting on her throat. Her heart was pounding in her ears, Belle staring up at him.

"Get up," he pressed his foot against her throat.  
>"Can't."<br>"Get up," Gunnar growled.

Belle kicked him to no effect, laying there staring up at him - his abdomen muscles clearly outlined. That was one good looking man. Luckily for both of them, he was untouchable. Completely off limits. These were men with extreme loyalty to one another, and getting between them was a no-win area. Cards was one thing, they'd been gambling - but they all had each other's backs.

"Get off," Belle strained as he pushed down harder. "Can't -"

"Gunnar, enough," Barney ordered, "Get the hell off her."

"She's going to get us killed unless she starts pulling her weight," Gunnar walked away, listening to her cough. She'd proved just how weak she was by not fighting back, and he had to work with her. Ridiculous. At least Maggie and Luna had proven themselves. She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up, getting to her feet. Belle walked towards him, right side of her body sagging slightly like a broken puppet.

"Didn't say I was done," she eyed Gunnar.

He chuckled and stood up. "Fine with me," Gunnar swung at her.

She ducked, jabbed him in the ribs as if taunting him and shuffled to the side. A smug look appeared on his face: he knew exactly what she was doing. Gunnar swept her leg out from under her, sending her to the floor. She rolled and got to her feet again, Belle cringing as he punched her across the jaw and sent her straight back down.

"This is just pathetic," Gunnar muttered and sat down.

"Enough, Isabelle," Doc attempted to intervene, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I am not fucking weak," Belle gritted her teeth and walked towards Gunnar. She punched him in the face, bones aching on impact. She rabbit-punched him, grunting when the world went horizontal. Flat on her back, again.

"I said enough!" Barney shouted, walking towards the pair. "You want to hold a grudge match? Do it at the gym, this isn't the time nor the place, got it?"

Belle mock-saluted Barney, still on the floor. "Yes, Boss."

"I'll give you one thing," Gunnar glanced at her as she lay there, "you're determined."

"Again," Belle got to her feet, ignoring Barney's presence. Gunnar went to floor her, his foot sweeping her feet out from under her. She grabbed onto the waist of his jeans, holding herself up off the ground. Gunnar nearly doubled over, looking her right in the eyes.

"Are you trying to take my pants off?"

She strained, lifting her legs and wrapping them around his neck. "Nope, you already got me out of mine," Belle smiled.

Caesar laughed, what was this - fight sex? They were defying Barney, even though Ross was still standing there.

Gunnar grabbed her by the waist, lifted her and kissed her. Belle smashed him across the face with her elbow, breaking free of his grip and jumping off him. She slammed sideways into the floor, rolling away and getting to her feet.

"Don't ever do that again," Belle seethed, slumping down next to Doc. "So I can't beat him, but I could probably beat you."

Doc chuckled, "Keep dreaming, Daee."

"Alright, enough - Gunnar, stay away from her. Belle, work with Yang to get your strength up once we land in N'Orleans," Barney said, ending any thought of defiance.

Her hand subconsciously rose to her lips. Why the hell had she done something so stupid? She'd put herself in a vulnerable position, given him every chance to abuse that power. She glanced up as Toll handed her a beer, Belle cracking it open and taking a swig. She clinked bottles in deference, Toll sitting down next to her.

"You shouldn't push him ... Last time he snapped, it wasn't so pretty. You're a pirate, and temptation," Toll said quietly.

"What happened last time?" Belle glanced up at Toll.

"He nearly killed Yang, so Barney shot him. Gunnar's never really liked Yang, but they still work together," Toll explained. He went quiet, sitting there as his throat tightened and the blood began to pound in his ears. "Really don't like bald guys, huh?"

"I don't know, you're okay, not too sure about the co-pilot. Church is dead if I get my hands on him, I'll guarantee you that," Belle closed her right eye. "One eye open," she called out to Gunnar and held up her middle finger.

Toll chuckled. He'd give her this much, she had a sense of humour. Unfortunately, she was a pirate. Gunnar had called her out, and she'd practically confessed. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, feeling a foot nudge him slightly. Toll opened one eye, watching her get dressed again before she sat down and let herself tip sideways, curling up on the canvas. They'd all learned to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, conserving sleep was a consistent goal out in the field.

Toll Road reached for the blanket sitting under the seat, admittedly it was used to cover things and not for sleeping under, but he doubted she'd care. He unfolded the blanket and spread it over her, blood still streaked through her hair and along her neck. He wondered how old she was, how she'd gotten into the business - you usually didn't see women in their line of work.

Didn't matter anyway, Gunnar had practically marked his claim and Toll wasn't going to fight over a girl. All that mattered was that they work together, whether they liked each other or not. That was the way it had worked for over five years since he'd joined the team, and even with his therapy sessions - it was still a struggle to convince himself to stay. Every instinct told him to run in the opposite direction, that he didn't belong and he'd eventually find himself out on the kerb. So far his fears had proved false, but now there were two more people than there used to be. He'd been replaced, it was just a matter of time before Barney sent him packing.

"Hey, you talk to Brooke today?" Caesar looked over at his partner.

"Yeah," Toll muttered, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"So how'd you lose your leg?" Yang said, looking at Belle. She lifted her head and opened her eye.

"Killer whale," Belle yawned.

"What happened to the whale?" the seven men spoke at the same time.

"It died."


	3. The Secret Side Of Me

**D/C**: I don't own Expendables, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear!

**Beauty And The Beast  
><strong>

"Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested."  
>- Elizabeth I<p>

**Chapter 3: The Secret Side Of Me**

The thump of the plane touching down on the tarmac shook Belle from her slumber. She lifted the curtain and peered out into the darkness. It was a private airfield, a hangar sitting in the distance with 'Ross & Co. Aviation' painted on it. So, she was home - in a manner of speaking. They were on U.S soil at least.

Barney whistled loudly, getting the attention of the six men. "We're here."  
>"Here being?" Belle looked at him.<br>"New Mexico."  
>"Church said we were heading for Louisiana."<br>"We have to pick up a few more people."

Oh joy. The ramp descended, four men and a woman walked up, jostling each other and laughing. Belle kicked Toll in the shin, waking him. "We have company," she muttered.  
>"Wh - " Toll stood and looked towards the ramp. He let out a sigh of relief, "they're Expendables, don't worry about them."<br>"Hey Major," Mars bumped fists Toll. "Sup?" He smiled at Belle.  
>"Who's the newbie?" Thorn chuckled.<br>"Excuse me?" Belle looked at Thorn, "I'm not a 'newbie' - whatever the hell a 'newbie' is," she muttered.  
>"Okay, well, I'm Thorn - that's Mars, John, Billy and -"<p>

"I can speak for myself," Luna snapped. "I'm Luna," she held out her hand.  
>"Isabelle, but I just stick to Belle."<br>"Uh, hi," Billy approached, going silent when he saw her face.  
>Belle felt an arm rest on her shoulders, glancing up at Gunnar. The look on his face said it all: he was not happy. Billy looked at Gunnar and walked past them, sitting down in the canvas seats.<p>

"What're you looking at, boy?" Gunnar narrowed his eyes at Thorn.

Thorn chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't know, do you have an encyclopaedia?"

Belle shrugged off Gunnar's arm, walking down the ramp. She needed air, hell, she needed a sanitarium. She stretched, the wind lashing her face. It was hot, sand being stirred up and blown about. Belle flinched as a hand touched her shoulder, instinct kicking in. She grabbed the hand, flipping them over her shoulder and reaching for the knife that should have been at her hip.

No weapon. Damnit.

"Hi," Billy looked up at her.  
>"What do you want?" Belle frowned, letting him up. Well, at least she still had her reflexes. Most of her muscle mass was gone, but her training wasn't. Mars and Smilee quickly surrounded her.<br>"Let me guess, military?" John eyed her off.  
>"No."<br>"Let's go," Barney barked. "Stop screwing around, Leroux."

_Fuck you_, she pushed her way up the ramp, walking straight between the three men. She was the one screwing around? This was bullshit, they were the ones acting territorial - but maybe Barney was pushing her for a reason. Testing her to see just how far she could go before she snapped. When she did snap... It wouldn't be pretty. It took a lot to make her snap, but after two years imprisonment - her fuse had grown somewhat shorter.

"Belle," Luna approached. "They're just being men, nothing new," she glanced over at John and Mars, "You been an Expendable for long?"  
>"Does it look like I'm an Expendable?" Belle retorted, "They picked me up from Guantanamo Bay less than twelve hours ago."<br>"You're a terrorist?" Smilee looked up.  
>"Typical," Belle muttered. "I was locked up there, it's a prison - doesn't mean every prisoner is a terrorist. I'm innocent, ask the CIA."<br>"The CIA? Because they're reliable," he snorted.

"Fuck you, prissy pants. What do you wanna know? How I lost my foot? A recount of my torture at the hands of the US government? The name of the Nazi fucker that hacked my eye out? It's all in here," she tapped her temple, "I don't need your friendship, I don't want it. All I want is either your respect or trust, whichever of those you give me - I don't care. I'll have your back if you have mine, and that's all that matters."

John stood, walking towards her. He held out his hand and Belle shook it, at least they understood each other. Even if they didn't like each other, she was on the team - temporarily or permanently, it didn't matter. She needed to know he had her back, and that she had his. Mutual respect between warriors, the way it had been for centuries and would be for centuries to come.

"I got your back," Smilee said, gripping her hand.

"So are you two gonna kiss and make up or are you just wasting my time?" Barney said from the pilot's seat. "Sit down and let's get out of this shithole."

Gunnar glanced at Belle as she sat next to him, leaning back against the fuselage. A bored look on her face, she started cleaning the dirt out from under her fingernails. Belle still had blood through her hair, not that the five youngsters had noticed. Now they would.

"So why'd you kill that guard?" Gunnar said, just loud enough for them to hear. "You punctured his carotid with a chicken bone."

"He deserved it, is that a good enough reason? Maybe I should ask you why you tried to kill your partner, or why you're so fucked up in the head," Belle retorted, moving to sit next to Doc. "Asshole," she muttered.

"Gunnar has a crush on you," Doc spoke quietly, glancing at her.  
>"Bullshit," Belle snorted.<br>"Didn't you ever go to school? It's what boys do when they like a girl, they tease her," Doc muttered.  
>Belle stayed quiet.<br>"You never went to school?"  
>"I was homeschooled."<p>

That explained a lot of things, Gunnar mused. A _lot_ of things. The authority issues, the defiance - why she was so arrogant. Hell, it explained why she was so damn confrontational. Belle was the most arrogant whore he'd ever seen, and one of the better looking. Jensen knew whores like the back of his hand, and Isabelle was practically Babylon herself. So why was he being driven nuts? She was beautiful, deadly, intoxicating - everything you wanted in a female killer. The perfect weapon because you could never imagine that behind such innocent eyes lurked a violent psychopath. His personal drug of choice.

"Hey," Belle glanced at Gunnar as she clutched the canvas netting, the plane practically bounced its way down the runway as Barney took off. "You look distracted, Albert."  
>"Einstein was a mathematician, Hawking is a physicist - I'm a chemical engineer."<br>"Oppenheimer then," she said mockingly. "Right, nuclear engineer. _The _nuclear engineer. You're just the cheap imitation Ken doll."  
>"Bitch," Doc sung under his breath, nudging her, "play nice with the boys."<p>

"I am playing nice," Belle rolled her eye. "So, what's the real mission then? If we need thirteen people, it's something serious. We've diverted to New Mexico, now we're heading to New Orleans. You brought me along for some reason, probably because the only genius here is Hannibal Lecter and I'm guessing whatever country we're going to - none of you speak the language," Belle looked at Doc.

Sorry. Sociopath, not psychopath - or maybe she was half-half. Sociopaths loved playing games, and it seemed Belle did too - but then sociopaths didn't feel and Belle was a raging torrent of emotion.

Gunnar smiled inwardly. Once they were alone, he'd make his move, or maybe they'd go back to sparring practise and he could make his move then. Jensen glanced up at the five younger Expendables. Yeah, definitely not with them around. When it had just been the eight of them, it would have been easier, but now with extra pairs of eyes ... Gunnar rested his right hand on his leg, propping his leg up and bending it at the knee.

_Can you read me? _He signed one-handed.  
>Her eye was drawn to his hand. <em>Yes.<br>__You like being a smartass don't you?  
><em>_I prefer knowing people's limits before they snap, because if we're in the midst of battle and they snap then ... It tends to be problematic. You like being the smart guy in a room full of idiots.  
><em>_Are you referring to yourself as the latter?  
><em>_Why? _She smiled, _do you see me as the latter?_

Gunnar chuckled aloud, drawing attention and a few raised eyebrows. He stopped mid-sign, yawning and stretching to get comfortable. Maybe he'd misjudged her, or this was a sign of her inner sociopath. Being the smart guy on a team full of dumbasses had its problems, number one - that the deeper connection he'd been searching for for so long could never be found amongst them.

_Well?  
><em>_No, you're not stupid.  
><em>_But I'm not smart either.  
><em>_You're intelligent, there's a difference.  
><em>_What's the difference? I didn't go to school and get a stupid piece of paper to prove I have a brain?_

Gunnar groaned. The look on her face had gone from curiosity to a child whose balloon had just been popped, and he was the one holding the needle. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it," Gunnar said bluntly, moving seats so he didn't have to look at her. This was going to get awkward very fast. The more he pushed, the more she pushed back - the end result would possibly be violent, or very very heated. Gunnar shifted uncomfortably in his seat, he'd managed to keep the slight bulge in his pants from drawing attention but now ... He needed relief. This wasn't the mile-high club, he couldn't just duck into a room and get what he needed.

_Yeah, that's what I thought. It's always the same with you people, _Belle hurriedly signed before she closed her eye. The rage settled in her gut, waiting for the moment to strike. Church had known exactly how far he could push her, and being stuck on a plane with twelve strangers? She was a ticking bomb just waiting to explode, but how long would it be til they exploded? Belle stood, there was only one way they were going to solve their predicament. Brute force. She walked towards Gunnar and struck him across the face with her elbow, watching for a reaction.

"Belle, sit the fuck down or I'll shoot you myself," Doc said, reaching for the pistol at his hip.

"Only one way the hierarchy gets sorted," Belle said quietly, "you know what I mean."

Gunnar touched his nose, coming away with blood. He stood, "yeah, I know what you mean," he murmured. One way to figure out who was on top, like a pack of wolves. Hell, they may as well have been a pack - there was one Alpha, a Beta, and the subjugates. The young of the pack were protected, but now there was an intruder and either the Alpha accepted her or ripped her throat out.

Gunnar went to seize her by the throat but she'd already moved. Good, she was learning. He grunted as a prosthetic foot struck him in the knee, pain reflexes dropping him to a kneeling position. Belle rabbit-punched him repeatedly, Gunnar taking the blows with a smile. God, she was hot when she was determined. There was a fire in her eyes, she wanted this fight and she wanted to win.

"Enough," Barney barked. He'd handed the throttle to Lee while he sorted out this bullshit. "Sit down, now! I'm not having the two of you kill each other before we get to Nam."  
>"Wasn't trying to kill him," Belle said before Gunnar punched her one last time. She frowned. He'd pulled his punch, gone easy on her. Son of a - Who the hell did he think he was? Belle sat next to Gunnar, just as Gunnar looked up at Barney.<br>"If I wanted her dead, she'd be dead," Jensen said, reaching for his Bowie knife. He groaned, it wasn't - He looked to his left, watching Belle spin it back and forth in her hands. "Point proven," Gunnar muttered.

Gunnar never liked people touching his shit ... Barney gave a nod and walked back to the cockpit. What was the line? 'This is the start of a beautiful friendship' - something like that. Whatever was going on between the pair, they'd seemed to have temporarily sorted it. Christ, it was like being a high school teacher. The two class bullies were duking it out for the position of top bully, and Belle had won. Maybe not 'won', but the fight had ended for the moment. At least til they resumed it when they got to Tool's. Barney slumped in his seat, taking back the throttle from Lee.

"Peace at last," Barney sighed.  
>Lee chuckled. "Let me guess, they're in love," he rolled his eyes.<br>"Gunnar's infatuated," Barney groaned, "Wish Church had given us a choice between her and someone else."  
>"Gunnar would have killed a bloke by now, at least we have a chance at keeping her alive," Lee said.<br>"If she doesn't kill him first."

_Five hours later._

Belle walked down the ramp, cigar smoke hitting her in the face as she walked past Barney and Church. Cold wind bit at her extremities, she shielded her eye as the wind picked up. How long til she was finally free, when Church would no longer be holding the past five years over her. She walked towards one of the cars, slamming the door shut and strapping herself in. She felt the seat shift under someone else's weight, Belle reaching for the release button on her seatbelt.  
>"Hi," Gunnar murmured.<br>Fuck! She released her restraint, Gunnar was on her blindside. If she moved ... She closed her eyelids, forcing herself to breathe. She could do this, it wasn't that hard to defend herself. If she had to, she could always scream.  
>"What do you want?" Belle said.<br>He leaned close, lips brushing against hers. A moan escaped her, driving Gunnar further. He kissed her, feeling her relax against him.  
>"Cam," Belle murmured.<p>

Gunnar pulled away. A spark ignited in his head and became a blaze. Cam. Wrong name. He was _not _Cam_. _He was Gunnar, not Cam. Yet she wasn't stopping, leaning forward, grasping at his shirt and egging him on. Gunnar kissed her further, hand tangling in her hair. Thank God for tinted windows, or their session would have been on display for the whole team. She returned the kiss, fiercer this time before pulling away as his thumb stroked her cheek.  
>"Stop," she shuddered, chest heaving. "I shouldn't - We shouldn't be doing this. We barely know each other and I'm - God, I'm sorry," Belle moved to open the door just as Yang and Doc slid into the car.<br>"The hell happened to you?" Doc looked at Belle.  
>"Panic attack, it's fine." Belle said, winding down the window. "I'm fine," she insisted, resting her head on the windowsill.<p> 


	4. The Charge Of The Light Brigade

**D/C**: I don't own Expendables, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters. I do own any OC's that appear!  
><strong>AN:** To my fellow Scorpion, this one's for you. So I'm kickstarting the romance pretty early, but only so it doesn't impede with the shitstorm that's coming.

**Beauty And The Beast **

"Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head." - Euripides

**Chapter 4: The Charge Of The Light Brigade**

"Get your weapons ready, make sure you have enough ammunition and don't forget your God damn flak vests," Barney barked at the six of them. He'd shoved Belle into the junior league, separating her from Gunnar. According to Doc, she'd had a panic attack in the car - and the only person that had been in the car was Gunnar. Two and two did equal four. Doc would fly solo the way he always did - Gunnar with Yang, Caesar with Toll and Lee with him. The partnerships worked, he wasn't going to change things now just because some patsy had joined them.

"What is it with him and treating us like children?" Belle said to Luna as she adjusted the shoulder straps on her vest and fixed up the webbing, attaching a sheath to the back of the vest and sliding the machete in. She readjusted the thigh holsters, making sure they were secure enough not to fall off. She holstered two Desert Eagle Mark XIX's, one on each leg and sheathed a kabar on her left ankle.

"As long as he doesn't start crap about being female, I don't give a rat's ass what he does," Luna said, tying her boots before she gave Belle the once-over. "All good."

"I don't think you'll ever have to worry about that," Belle chuckled. "Barney doesn't seem like the type," she added, pulling her vest on. It weighed at least twenty pounds with the pistols and machete, plus four spare magazines and two pocket knives. She also had a detached rifle scope clipped to her vest, plus a miniature blowtorch courtesy of Christmas. "So, you and Mars, Thorn and John - and I'm stuck with a guy who can't even look at me."

"Sucks being you," Luna chuckled as Belle walked back up the ramp into the Hercules.

Now she looked like a killer. The red tinge was gone from her hair, she'd cleaned her stump thoroughly under hot water and made sure there wasn't a hair out of place. She'd shaved for the first time in two years, mostly for the sense that she was reclaiming her body. Belle had even washed her hair. God, how she missed hot water. Tool had told her to use whatever she wanted; he'd given her a beer, told her where the towels were and made sure she had enough food in her stomach. It was like having a grandfather who spoiled you every time you came around. Tool had even offered to do her a free tattoo, as long as he got to pick where he put it. She'd agreed on one condition: she wasn't shaving her head.

"She cleans up nice," Yang nudged Gunnar.

"Shut up, Pingu," Gunnar muttered, sheathing his Bowie knife. What the hell was wrong with him? Even with whatsherface, the disco girl, he hadn't moved this quick. She'd dumped him anyway, but Belle ... She was the one, she had to be. Why else did it feel like Tassie Devil was twisting away in his gut? He managed to catch her gaze when Belle turned to look at one of them, signing one-handed and making sure she responded.

_Do you need any more bullets? _Gunnar signed.

_Does it look like I do? I have a machete._

_You're not Wade Wilson, you can't deflect bullets._

_No, but I'm fucking crazy enough to be, _Belle chuckled. That was true, she was crazy enough to be the Merc with the Mouth - she just wasn't sure about dressing up in a red onesie.

Yang glanced at Gunnar, "Meep meep," he muttered. Barney started up the Herc, signalling boarding time. Yang shuffled up the ramp, slumping down on the canvas.

Gunnar sat opposite him, a semiautomatic assault rifle hanging from his right shoulder and another from his left. His Bowie was strapped to his right leg, a machete on his left - with two kabars on his ankles.

Belle and Luna laughed as they talked quietly, the two females sitting between Mars and Smilee. Smilee glanced to his left as Luna giggled then snorted, Belle lifting her head when Lee called her name.

"Yeah?"

"You know how to fly a plane, Slasherbell?"

"No," she hesitated, "but I know how to land one."

"Yeah, how?" Billy looked at her.

"Couple of pounds of C4 in the fuselage," Belle smiled, "lands the plane nice and quick."

"You're nuts," Billy said.

"Almond or walnut?" Luna looked at Belle, a grin on her face.

"I always thought macadamia," Belle said. "Hey, Boss - tell Tool he can do that tattoo when we get back," she called out.

"What's the tattoo gonna be, a black chicken?" Lee laughed.

"Nah. I'm thinking Tinkerbell with a machete and dripping blood," Belle flipped Lee off even though he couldn't see her. She moved seats just as the plane jolted, quickly dropping down and sitting between Toll and Gunnar. Belle craned her neck to look over the wrestler's arm, eyeing the book. She blushed, glancing at him. "You're seriously reading that?"

"It's more than what it seems, it's a genuine look at the reasoning behind why people would be interested in that sort of thing."

"Fifty Shades of Grey," Belle murmured, "sounds like a bad home renovation show," she chuckled. "Mind if I borrow it when you're finished?" she whispered in his ear, making sure no one else heard.

"I have the other two in my bag, so once I finish reading the first one, I'll lend it to you," Toll whispered back and gave her a conspiratorial wink.

Getting along with people wasn't so much being a nice person, it was more along the lines of playing to people's expectations. Toll expected her to act decent, Thorn and his three brothers expected her to form a sisterhood with Luna - Luna expected her to act like she didn't give a shit about what anyone said or did. Gunnar ... She sat up, arm brushing against his as she held onto the canvas tightly as the Hercules struck turbulence. He didn't expect anything from her, and for that she was grateful.

_Hi,_ Gunnar fingerspelled.

_Hi, _Belle signed.

_About what happened in the car._

_Nothing happened, I'm fine._

_I kissed you._

_Like I said, _she glared at him, _nothing happened._

_Are we really going to argue about what happened? _Gunnar nudged her foot with his boot. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and listening to her breathe. In, out. Quiet, then another inhale. God, he could just sit there and listen to her breathe for the whole trip. So he did. For the next twelve hours - Gunnar simply sat there. He didn't speak a word to anyone, not even when Caesar started cracking jokes about smores. Big hard white crackers on the outside and the perfect blend of marshmallow and sweet chocolate on the inside.

Toll was buried in his book, too absorbed to notice and Belle had begun meditating. Caesar and the others had fallen asleep upright on the canvas seating, Toll had stopped reading after seven hours then put his book down and decided to catch some shuteye. Considering they'd be awake for God knew how many hours once they landed in Nam, they were all getting what sleep they could.

Gunnar shifted downwards, leaving enough room to turn himself ninety degrees to the left. Belle was still sitting there, eyes closed. Her breathing hadn't changed, so either she was sleeping or meditating. Whichever it was, it made no difference to him. He leaned down and kissed her softly, keeping his eyes open and watching her seem to stir. She opened her eye, then closed it. Her right hand slid up his neck, thumb running along his jawline as she returned the kiss.

Hook, line - meet sinker.

Her skin was soft, as if she had never handled a weapon. That would change soon enough, but for the moment she still smelt like honey and milk body wash. He kissed her jaw, feeling her twist against him. She didn't make a sound except for breathing, her fingers tangled in his messy jaw-length blonde hair. Her fingers moved from his hair to his neck, Gunnar making sure the others were still asleep before he slid his hands under her thighs and lifted her onto his lap.

"Wait," Belle murmured, pulling back. "I'm not ... you know, desperate. I think I like you, and not just cause you're batshit crazy," Belle said quietly. "I haven't exactly done this in a while, so I'm out of practise."

"You're doing fine," Gunnar said softly, just as he heard footsteps.

A tap on her shoulder. Belle grabbed the handle of Gunnar's Bowie knife and withdrew it from his sheath, turning in one swift movement to press the knife to her assailant's throat.

"You want the first book?" Toll held up the paperback.

"Oh, thanks," she lowered the knife and took the book. "We weren't ... It - "

"You don't need to make excuses," Toll shrugged, "It is what it is, besides - I have someone back home too," he smiled. It was his dirty little secret. Toll Road had a girlfriend, and none of them knew. She was a nurse at a hospital, a beautiful tall woman with the most seductive voice he'd ever heard - excluding Katherine Hepburn's. And okay, the way Belle's accent twisted her vowels was pretty sexy too - but it was also pretty obvious that she had eyes for one man and one man alone. The sass and wit was her playing nice, nothing more - whoever had taught her the art of social interaction had forgotten to tell her one thing: being her true self was better than any fake self she could ever conjure up.

Seemed Gunnar was the only one who had seen her true self, and whatever was lurking beneath the surface had to be pretty good if Gunnar had moved so fast. "Go on, I'll alert you if they wake up," Toll rolled his eyes and sat back down as Belle sat the book on the canvas and turned back to face Gunnar.

"Where were we?" Gunnar murmured, pressing his face to the crook of her neck and kissing a trail back to her lips.

"Brace for impact!" Barney shouted at the top of his lungs, waking them all.

Belle turned, Gunnar bracing his feet against the seat and wrapping his arms around Belle - crushing her against him.

They were over northern Vietnam, a few miles from the Army base. A siren blared in the cockpit, something long and metallic flashed past the cockpit window and struck the left wing. The missile exploded on impact, sending the plane tilting to the right. The plane shuddered violently as Barney struggled to maintain control, lights flashed angrily on the console. He pulled the throttle back, the plane fighting him every inch of the way as they plummeted towards the ground.

Lee grunted, his head whiplashed back and forth, striking the console and knocking him out. The plane's right wing snapped off when it struck a tree - the ground rushing up to meet them.

The last thing he remembered was the smell of burning fuel, someone dragging him from the broken wreckage. Barney groaned, staggering to his feet. Smoke filled the air, the scent of burning metal surrounded them. Ross pulled off his shirt and used it as a filter.

"Barney," Hale shouted.

Shit, where was Caesar? "Get out of the plane," he shouted, breathing in a lungful of crap. "Lee!"

"Come on," she strained, arms looped under his as she struggled to lift Gunnar. Mars and Thorn were waking up, Luna slumped on the floor. "Mars, give me a hand!"

"What happened?" Mars groaned, looking around.

"Grab Luna and Billy, get them out of here," she ordered, veins bulging beneath her skin as she managed to get Gunnar's large mass moving. Momentum was all she needed, sliding him along the floor towards the door inch by inch. Belle grunted, foot catching on a container. She fell back, slamming down on the metal box. "Fuck," she groaned through gritted teeth, pulling herself back up to her feet. She moved the container out of the way, just as a figure came up behind her.

"Need a hand?" Yang said, grabbing Gunnar's feet.

Belle gave a nod, grunting as she lifted the Viking an inch off the ground. The two carried him out of the plane, dumping Jensen next to Barney.

"What happened?" Belle said, walking into the plane. "Doc!" she shouted, trying in vain to get the smoke out of her eyes. She walked towards where he'd been sitting, feeling blindly for a body. She felt a head, running a hand over the hair. Doc. Thank God. She slung one arm around her neck, getting herself under him and bracing herself before she lifted. She felt him stir then go quiet, "I got your back, brother," Belle murmured.

She didn't know why she said it, just that it felt right at the time. Doc walked on his own, still leaning on Belle but she stopped carrying him. Blood oozed from a gash to Doc's forehead, smoke clinging to them as they staggered out of the wreckage.

"Lee!"

"I'm fine, Barney, worry about yourself," Christmas groaned, helping Toll out and sitting him down next to Yang. "We need to get out of here," he coughed.

"Second that," Belle winced, watching Luna and the four boys stand on the other side of Barney.

"That's everyone," Barney said, looking at Lee. "Let's go."

Gunnar stirred, squinting up at Barney and Lee. He groaned, getting to his feet and stretching. "What happened?"

"Missile," Barney sighed. "Don't you see the burning wreckage?" he chuckled.

"No," Gunnar hesitated, "I can't." All he could see was black, he could hear their voices but he couldn't make out any faces. There was nothing, no smoke, no burning wreckage. Just black.

Belle stepped towards Gunnar and waved a hand in front of his face, then looked at Barney. She shook her head.

"Belle, guide Gunnar. Doc, cover our asses - Smilee, you're on point."


	5. It's A Perfect Fit

**D/C**: I don't own Expendables, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters.

**Beauty And The Beast**

"All of the brave men are dead." - Russian Military Proverb

**Chapter 5: Put Your Hand In Mine, It's A Perfect Fit**

_**The Crash Site**_

The first bullet struck the tree just behind Barney. Belle grabbed Gunnar's hand and attempted to take him with her. Barney shouted orders, Belle scrambling to get to the jungle. More bullets filled the air, hot metal grazed her arm twice. Gunnar was dead weight, but she couldn't leave him. Barney had told her to guide him, and she would.

"Split up, regroup at the base," Barney ordered.

Fuck!

"Belle - " Gunnar nearly tripped, struggling to keep up as she jogged. "Leave me behind."

"Barney said to guide you, I'm doing what he said." All she had to do was shut down her emotions, pretend like none of it mattered. The microchip was out of her arm anyway. She could leave him behind easy as pie, but abandonment wasn't in her DNA. Flashes of light came from in front of her, Belle guiding Gunnar to the right. It was useless trying to hide on the ground, whoever it was - they had high grade military equipment and probably a military of their own. "I finish this job and I'm free, that's all I'm interested in."

"Uh-huh," Gunnar rolled his eyes. He'd never imagined what it would be like to be blind, but this ... Gunnar grunted as he hit a tree, Belle moving him left and right. Just move, it was all he had to do. Keep moving, keep alive.

Click.

Oh shit.

"Belle, what did you just step on?"

"Not me ... "

Boom!

The scent of charred meat wafted from nearby. Belle letting out a sigh of relief as they started jogging again. Landmines. She'd forgotten the potential danger, not that it would make much difference to her when she only had one real foot. To Gunnar, it would be like cutting off two senses at once.

_**Barney & Lee**_

"You told them to split, and they did," Lee glanced at Barney.

"Gunnar's as good as dead. This way, at least he thinks he's surviving," Barney said, jumping over a log. John and Luna had paired up, Doc was God knew where - Billy and Yang had formed a new partnership, Toll was flying solo and Caesar, Mars and Thorn were circling around to uncover their attackers. I'm not giving up on him, just stating the facts.

_**Elsewhere**_

All of which were obvious as hell if you were watching from a live infrared satellite feed.

"Herd those two back towards the crash site," a man ordered.

"Yes, sir," someone responded automatically.

"Identify them all, I want to know who's on our turf and who can be ... guided in the right direction."

_**Gunnar & Belle**_

"Three at least," Gunnar said quietly, slowing their pace down to a walk. "Can you - "

"No peripheral vision in my left eye, these bastards must know it," Belle murmured. "We're being hunted."

"So let's show these sons of bitches who the real hunters are. Take the Bowie, give me one of your smaller knives. We only need one alive."

Belle tripped, grunting as she slammed into a log and busted her nose. Blood dripped from her nose, Gunnar knelt to help her as she slid the Bowie out of its sheath and slid her own kabar out from its sheath on her ankle. Belle shoved the Bowie down the front of her pants, getting up awkwardly with Gunnar's help before she kept walking.

_**Doc & Toll**_

Doc glanced around him, assault rifle pointed upwards as he jogged. The safety was off, the dial turned to automatic. Whoever crossed him would cop a chest full of bullets. Doc paused, an explosion sounded somewhere. Landmine. Well, this was Vietnam and the supposed cleanup job that was meant to happen had been abandoned. Thousands of bombs littered the fields of Laos, no bigger than a tennis ball - farmers were losing limbs just trying to take care of their families. Government types like Church were the sons of bitches responsible, sitting on the sidelines and laughing their asses off as the body count rose.

_I know you're out there, Chucky_.

A click came from his left. Whoever was after them was in just as much danger from landmines as they were. Doc grinned, climbing up the nearest tree and resting his rifle on a branch. He reached for one of his blades, this was a job for Sally. Doc drew one of his blades, watching his surroundings. He whistled half a tune quietly, waiting for a reply.

Silence.

Then ... "You know I can't fucking whistle."

"Hey, brother."

"You seen anyone else?" Toll said, keeping his rifle at chest height.

Doc dropped from the tree, glancing at Toll before he scanned his surroundings. There was no wind, just heat. Sweat and heat, humidity at the max. This was definitely Nam. So if there was no wind ... Why were the leaves on a bush moving slightly? Doc aimed and squeezed the trigger, watching red mist coat the leaves. The corpse fell forward through the leaves, just as shots came from either side of them.

Doc and Toll dove to the ground, Doc rolled and got up into a crouching position. He fired back in bursts of gunfire, signalling Toll to move. "Let's go," Doc stood as Toll laid down cover fire. Toll shot back, spraying bullets in either direction as they moved quickly. Once they got to the base, it would be the perfect location for a stand-off.

**Billy & Yang**

Billy ran, Yang keeping up with him step for step. Sure, the guy was short - but he could run. Billy fired back a few rounds, bullets tearing into the trees surrounding them. If they tried to head in a different direction, more bullets made their presence known.

"Would you rather be with Gunnar?" Billy said, jumping over a log.

"Would you rather be with Belle?" Yang chuckled at the look on the Kid's face. Definitely not. "Why does she scare you?"

"She doesn't scare me," Billy snorted.

"You replied very fast. She scares you," Yang said, ducking down as bullets sliced through the air above their heads. "So is it the eye, the foot?"

"I was in the Army remember?" Billy chuckled. "She's manipulative, plays to peoples expectations. She was acting like Luna's new girlfriend, getting in Smilee's face. Doing what she had to."

"Maybe she was trying to keep the peace."

"She's a terrorist. I've seen her kind, she doesn't give a shit about us - she just wants to get to her target so she can finish the job."

_**John & Luna**_

John buried the knife in the man's neck, twisting it savagely and cutting through his brain stem. Instant death. John shuddered, getting to his feet. How long was this going to keep happening? It was like whack-a-mole, every time he smashed one down, two more popped up. Like a Hydra but worse, because this was no myth. Luna decked another man, snapping his neck and dropping the corpse.

"What the hell is happening?" Luna frowned, adjusting her vest. "Two come out of nowhere, then the whole fucking platoon arrives," she murmured, watching from the shadows. There was a group of men, about twenty or so, armed to the teeth and dangerous as hell. Tattoos ran down their arms, revealing the different military backgrounds. Spetsnaz, British SAS, Navy SEAL; Delta Force; Commandos; even 82nd Airborne - the best of the best. What was this, Relampago Rojo-7? Playing hide-and-seek until your time was up and all the other teams had been caught.

"We need to contact Bonaparte. You got your sat-phone?" Luna said, pulling her own out and taking a photo of the group of men. "What's the bet they were all dishonourably discharged?"

"Let's -"

"Hi kids, where's your teacher?" A man spoke from behind them, five men stood there with MP-7's aimed at them. "You are Expendables aren't you?" he chuckled, "Well, if you see Barney - say hi," he smiled and signalled one of his men.

John howled as the bullet tore through his right kneecap, the men walking away.

"If I was you, I'd regroup with your boss," the man gave them a thumbs up.

_**Mars, Thorn & Caesar**_

Mars paused, gunshots echoing around them. "We gotta find 'em," he looked at Thorn.

"We do that and we expose ourselves, you know how it works. Barney said regroup at the base, that's where we're going," Thorn snapped. "You think it was an accident they shot us down? Someone knew we would be here, and whoever it was wants us dead or captured. I don't want to be either, so smarten up and let's get to the base."

Smarten up - He worked for DARPA for fuck sake, that proved it he was smart. Mars spun, punching the man hard in the face. He kicked him in the stomach, sending him staggering backwards. It had only been a matter of time until one of their stalkers showed their face. Marlito went after him with a barrage of punches to the stomach before knocking him out with a blow to the head.

"Take a photo, send it to Bonaparte. Let's find out who these guys are," Thorn said, pulling out his phone. "Fifty bucks they're -"

Mars pulled the man's sleeve up. "No tattoos, and he's a piss poor fighter. This guy is a patsy, probably a distraction. Keep your eyes open."

Caesar watched in silence, heftng his modifid 6P49 Kord up. Now was the time for an ambush. "Wakey wakey, motherfuckers," Hale smiled as he squeezed the trigger. Bullets spewed from the machine gun, shredding the trees and the group of men standing on the other side of them. The wave of bullets lasted ten seconds.

_**Barney & Lee**_

Barney glanced at Lee and gave a nod. "The base is five klicks that way, but at this rate ... "

"It'll be hours before we get there, we need to regroup sooner," Lee finished his sentence.

It was like having a twin, Lee always knew what Barney was thinking - most of the time. Barney's head wasn't a pleasant place so he stayed out of it most of the time, but when it came down to them back to back fighting for their lives - Barney was glad Lee was there. Barney trusted Lee with his life, but when it came down to it - Barney would dump Lee on Lacy's doorstep and not look back. No one would have his back when it came down to it, and he didn't expect any of them to die for him.

_**Gunnar & Belle**_

"Belle?"

Silence. Shit, where was she? He couldn't see a thing, and she wasn't making a - Gunnar felt her hand cover his mouth, her chest pressed to his back, her knees against the back of his thighs. "Shh," she whispered in his ear.

He sighed against her hand, crouching within a bush. The mud he'd slathered himself with had made it harder to notice him, but he was still a six foot four muscular giant. He leaned back slightly, feeling her cheek against his.

Footsteps thudded as three men walked past, dressed head to toe with body armour. Belle closed her eyelids, heart thumping in her chest. The position was awkward, and the mud was thick and making her sweat - but it was either hide and pray they weren't found or confront the men head-on.

"If I tell you the time, just lash out in that direction ... Its gonna be awkward but -"

"Mister Jensen, Miss Leroux, you mind coming out of the bush?" One of the men trained an assault rifle on them.

Crap.

Gunnar stood, taking Belle with him. He raised his hands above his head, nudging Belle with his foot to signal her. "Play along," Gunnar muttered.

Belle stood next to Gunnar, eyeing the men. "Put your arms down, you look stupid," Belle frowned.

Gunnar turned to face her, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not stupid," he growled, lowering his arms.

"You covered yourself in mud," she snorted, "that seems pretty fuckin' stupid to me."

"So did you."

"I was itchy, the mosquitoes are a nightmare," Belle said. "Its twelve o'clock and I'm hungry, but do you think Barney says we can have lunch? No, he changes his mind and says one o'clock! Then he says two o'clock," Belle growled, turning to face him.

"Put your fucking hands -"

"Shut up," Belle snapped at the man in tactical gear. "I'm talking to my boyfriend, okay? Fine, you can cuff us or whatever you want to do but I am going to get this off my chest first."

She'd strapped two pistols to her vest, Gunnar remembered. Twelve, one and two. Heh, genius. He heard her boots crunch a twig, signalling she'd turned around. Gunnar snatched a pistol, the safety already off - he felt her head brush his arm as he squeezed the trigger.

Belle drew the Bowie from her pants, throwing it at the two o'clock man. The knife was buried to the hilt in his face, Belle drawing the other pistol and aiming at the one o'clock man.

Gunnar emptied the magazine into the twelve o'clock man, hearing a crunch as the bullets impacted with the man's head. "You got him?" Gunnar said, turning to face the man.

Belle put her boot on the corpse's chest as leverage and pulled the Bowie knife from its head, watching as foam spilled from the man's mouth. Fuck! Belle groaned, pulling a chain from around the corpse's neck to reveal dog tags. "Commando," Belle frowned. "Other one used a cyanide pill," Belle sighed.

"Thought I could smell almonds," Gunnar mused. "That was smart."

"Smart is not getting caught in the first place, and no one saw us," Belle retorted.

"Which means they have probably have a satellite in the area, so hiding is useless."

"Yeah."

Gunnar stepped to his right until he felt her arm, moving his hand to her shoulder and turning her to face him. Okay, he could do this - kissing blind wasn't that hard, as long as he didn't end up at her ear or nose. That would just be weird.

"Gun, what're you doing?" Belle stepped back, watching as his left hand found hers then slid up her arm to her other shoulder. She hesitated, Gunnar's hand moved back downwards and found the hem of her pants. He yanked her forward, Belle dug her heel into the ground and resisted. "Gunnar!"

"I was just going to kiss you," Gunnar sighed.

"Well don't pull my -"

"Shit," Gunnar trailed off, the pieces clicking together. "You've never -"

"Not with a guy ..." Belle felt him let go, "and if I did do it ... It wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere in Vietnam."

"So, which direction is the base? We have to regroup, tell them what we know," Gunnar said, "Barney needs to know we're being watched."

Belle nodded, "Uh, that way, I think," she hesitated. "I can't remember ... It's all starting to look the same," she admitted. "Fuck."

"Did you mark the trees?"

"I didn't even think to."

"Well we came from the bush, and we did a straight line from the plane to the bush, so draw a straight line from the bush to the base."

"Right," Belle groaned. "I never did well with topography and navigation."

"You don't say," Gunnar chuckled. She punched him in the arm, Gunnar giving a light punch in return. "Let's keep walking, we have to find the others sometime."

"Sometime being the key word ... And I wasn't kidding about being hungry."

"You called me your -"

"I was acting."

Gunnar spun her around, leaning down and finding her lips on the first try. She melted against him, all resistance falling away as Gunnar kissed her further. She moaned into the kiss as his hand slid up her hip, under the flak vest. He caressed her waist, feeling something warm and wet under his fingers. "You were hit."

"Mostly grazes, I'm fine."

"We're in a country where the plague was practically born, no wonder the mosquitoes have been going after you."

"I'm fine, Gunnar."

"You're gonna get denghi fever or something if you don't cover it up."

"When we get to the base, I'll find a first aid kit, okay?" Belle snapped, "I'm not going to get Lyme disease for crying out loud. Stop babying me, I'm a grown woman."

"I wasn't babying you, and I could tell you to stop being a bitch, but that's Doc's job, not mine."

Belle dropped her head. "Yeah, it's your job as well," Belle said, kissing him on the lips. "My ex was a loose cannon, liked to fuck around and mess with people's heads. One of her games was sleeping with straight women, to see how many would loosen up. She also liked flirting with straight guys just to see them get pissed when they found out she was gay. She played me like a harp, so I've only had a few relationships and all of them were pretty messed up."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Gunnar kissed back. "We've all had messed up relationships, but then you find the right person and you forget all that crap. Look at Billy, he's married - Lee's engaged. Caesar's married with kids."

Belle clenched a fist, pulling away. "See you at the base," Belle said. Blind my ass, he was taking advantage of her. His pupils had dilated when she'd waved her hand in front of his face, so either he was lying or his eyes were working fine and the signals weren't getting through. Whichever one it was, it didn't matter. He was already planning a future that would never exist, she wouldn't hang around any longer than necessary ... and kids were a physical impossibility anyhow. Her tubes had been tied, she hadn't had her period in three years. Having a family was definitely out of the question.

"Belle!" Gunnar shouted, loud enough for his voice to carry.

**_Barney & Lee_**

Lee lifted his head, looking eastward. "Sounds like she left him," Christmas said.

"Fine, let's go find him," Barney sighed.


	6. I'm Not Your Ghost

**D/C**: I don't own Expendables, or any of its productions, characters, or even minor characters.  
><strong>AN: **I reneg'd on what I said I'd do, so I rewrote. Now the big badass mofo I was going to bring in is here (sort of), so there's no doubt about exactly who the bad guy is.

**Beauty And The Beast**

"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy." - Sun Tzu

**Chapter 6: I'm Not Your Ghost**

**_Belle_**

She coughed, spitting out another fly. Ugh, disgusting. It was the second she'd had to deal with, the first ... Belle gagged. The first was in her - She retched, doubling over. The first was in her stomach. Belle kept her head down, sweat sticking her clothes to her skin. How much longer til she arrived at the base? She peeled her hair from her neck, drew a knife from its sheath and cut clean through her ponytail. _Better_, Belle sighed, tossing the remnant aside, _much better_. She kept walking, footsteps sounded behind her - whoever it was was moving fast. If it was the bastards who'd shot them down, well, they could bring it on. She'd enjoy a bloodbath, especially if it became up close and personal.

"Bonjour, mon chére," a voice came from the jungle surrounding her.

Belle drew one of her Desert Eagles, finger resting on the trigger. "I'm not your chére," Belle said, raising the pistol to chest height.

"Would you be my chére if I offered you a bonus? Our dispute is not with you, but the men and woman you accompany."

"My dispute isn't with you, or them. I'm just doing a job and getting my paycheck."

Chuckles sounded. So there was more than one of them. Belle glanced around, walking slowly toward a tree. She slumped against it, tilting her head back. She just needed them to expose themselves and she could find out exactly who they were.

"Isabelle Leroux, that _is _your real name, isn't it? Born in the late eighties to early nineties. Father was Special Forces, Mother was ... special. No siblings, not much of a reputation considering you've only worked under three men."

"Who are you?"

"Call me ... Colt."

"What do you want, Monsiéur Colt?"

"I want the eleven of them dead."

Eleven. "That's a very specific number," Belle said.

"I'm a very specific man."

Belle chuckled. She'd worked with specific men before, they always turned out to be idiots - Barney included. He'd shot his ex-teammate in the chest yet didn't bother to make sure the guy was dead? Belle rolled her eyes, typical mercenary. "They're you're problem, not mine."

"Oh I believe they just became your problem, Miss Leroux," Colt chuckled, pressing the machete to the left side of her neck. "Your lack of vision betrays you, I could have been any man. I could have been Jensen wanting revenge or your old boss making sure you can't speak any."

"I don't lack vision, just eyesight."

**_Gunnar_**

He'd heard their footsteps, three men tailing him for the past ten minutes. He was further inland, dripping mud and sweat - heading for the base as instructed. Now ... Gunnar drew his grenade launcher, pointed it blindly in front of him and squeezed the trigger. The man's head was turned to putty, his neck disintegrated and his chest looked like an alien had attacked him.

Shit. That wasn't a tree.

"Take him," a voice ordered.

Gunnar reloaded his launcher with ease, muscle memory kicking in. He fired to his right, just as something slammed into him from his left side. Now he knew what it was like for Belle, though at least she had one working eye. Gunnar went to the ground, fists pounding into his stomach. Jensen laughed, grabbing his launcher and smashing it into the side of the man's head. A wet crunch as Gunnar kept striking the man, throwing the corpse away from him before he got up and drew his Bowis. A foot kicked him in the ribs, Gunnar lashed out and swung his knife wildly - footsteps echoing around him.

"Belle, a little help?" Gunnar shouted.

**_Belle_**

Belle stood slowly, the machete cold against her carotid artery. "Thanks, but no thanks," Belle said, dropping to her stomach as she saw a glint of metal.

Colt's head exploded like a watermelon, blood and brain matter landing in her hair. Her heart pounded as she stood, firing at the other men. One she shot between the eyes, another in the head.

"Mon chére," Doc smiled.

"Doc," Belle gave a nod as a bullet tore through another man's neck. "Billy."

"Where's Gunnar?" Doc said.

Belle shrugged, spinning and drawing her machete as a man charged at them. The machete separated head from body, Belle burying the machete between the corpse's ribs just to make sure. "I let him go," she said, "he was pissing me off."

"He's blind."

"So? He can't have gone too far - it's only been like, fifteen minutes," Belle said as Toll approached.

"You uh, got some stuff in your hair," Toll said.

Belle pulled a chunk of bone from her hair and flicked it away, ignoring the rest. "Whoever it is wants the eleven of you dead and me alive."

"You're sure about that?"

"I want the eleven of them dead," Belle imitated Colt. "That's a very specific number," she thickened her accent. "I'm a very specific man," she mimicked.

"Sounds more like he was flirting with you," Toll Road snorted.

Belle laughed, doubling over and slapping her knees as if it were the funniest thing in the world. "You're a very funny man, Toll. Exactly how long do you want to live?" she righted herself and aimed the machete at him, the blade dripping blood. "Cause I'll finish the job for them if you keep going."

Road went silent.

"Chére, go easy on the guy, he's just giving you a compliment," Doc chuckled, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

"Let's just finish the job and get out of this fucking jungle," Belle said bluntly, wiping her machete on her shirt and sheathing it. She glanced at Toll, "I was kidding, by the way. Wouldn't harm a hair on your head ... You know, if you had any."

Toll shook his head, "I'd floor your ass before you got within ten feet of me."

Belle smiled, stepping closer. "Four feet ... " she took another step, "Three, still not on the ground."

"Belle," Doc frowned.

"Two," she stepped again, meeting Toll's gaze. "One ... "

"You're pushing your luck, Leroux," Toll said, feeling her chest touch his. "Step back."

"Make me."

"Belle, where is my partner?" Yang frowned, running towards them. "Billy, we have three of the flock!"

"Anyone seen Luna or Thorn?" Billy said, dropping from a tree.

"I was with Gunnar til we split, I haven't seen anyone," Belle shrugged, "except for the dead guys."

**_Barney & Lee_**

"Gunnar, drop!" Barney shouted.

Gunnar dove to the ground, just as Lee buried a blade in a man's neck. Lee looked at Barney then the pair dove to the ground as well, bullets shredding the trees around them.

Barney jumped to his feet, firing back. He tested his radio. Shit, still static. Lee took down two more men, Barney wiping out the remainder.

"She dumped you, huh?" Lee chuckled, approaching Gunnar.

"She didn't - We're not dating."

"Uh-huh," Barney smirked at Lee. "You just keep telling yourself that."

Gunnar stood, wiping his hands on his pants. "How far are we from the base?"

Lee checked his map, "Two klicks uphill."

"Let's go," Barney ordered. "You had a map this whole time?"

"I've been a bit busy, alright?" Lee retorted. "Gunnar, you coming?"

"Yeah, just tell me which way to go."

Lee pointed uphill. "That way."

"Haha," Gunnar rolled his eyes. "Where's everyone else?"

"Split up, had to or we'd all be dead," Barney started walking uphill. "Turn to your left and start walking, Gunnar," Barney called out, clambering over a felled tree. Jesus, they were going to take an hour to walk half a mile. Ross slowed, waiting for Gunnar to catch up before he grabbed the blonde's hand and started leading him uphill.

"Remind me to kill Belle when all this is over," Barney said to Lee.

Lee gave a thumbs up and wolf-whistled, keeping his assault rifle aimed outwards. He chuckled to himself, now that was a sight. He slipped his phone out, quickly opened the camera function and aimed it at the pair before snapping a photo.

"Delete that now," Ross growled.

"Make me, Priscilla," Lee chuckled.

"You're lucky I don't shove my boot up your ass, Christmas."

Lee smirked, "Won't fit, but you can try and shove something else up there."

"Stay out of my pants, will you?" Barney rolled his eyes

**_John & Luna_**

"What the hell is going on out there?"

"I don't know, someone wants us dead - obviously."

Luna kept walking, John hopping next to her. She'd bandaged his knee as best she could, but they needed Doc. Normally she would have made him walk on his own, but it would take too long. Even now they were slowing down, stopping every few metres so Luna could make sure the bandages were tight enough to maintain pressure on the wound. His kneecap was shattered - even she was surprised he was still walking on it.

"My bike was on the plane ... We could backtrack ... " Smilee looked at Luna, "I know - it's stupid, but we'll cover more ground on the bike than on foot."

Luna paused, well it was a better idea than walking - and it didn't seem like these assholes were coming back any time soon. "Screw it, let's go."

**_Mars & Thorn_**

"Move!"

Mars jumped the log, Thorn sprinting ahead. They were heading in the direction of the base, bullets strafing them. The hum of rotor blades echoed overhead - trying to hide was useless, so they were bolting. If they could get to the base, find weapons - preferably a grenade launcher or a MANPAD - then they could fight back. Thorn didn't slow down, Mars just seconds behind him as they swerved to dodge trees.

"Can't keep running like this, Mars," Thorn shouted above the roar of the Black Hawk as it swooped low, pursuing them to Hell and back.

"Can't bring it down with our bare hands either," Mars shouted back.

Thorn glanced at his 'watch', a smile forming on his face. Maybe they could ... He'd done it before, turned it into a signal jammer - but if he could reverse it, so a burst emanated from the watch and screwed with the electronics onboard the chopper ... but then he needed it to work. Damnit, this was a fight he was not going to win - and he couldn't think himself out of it either.

**_Belle, Billy, Doc, Toll Road & Yang_**

Belle walked ahead of them, Billy never taking his eyes off her. She'd ditched Gunnar, made excuses - and now she expected them to work together? No, fuck that. He was over this feminist bullshit; aif she pulled rank once more, he was putting a bullet in her head. So she hadn't pulled rank, per se - but he was sick of the 'tough bitch' act. Either they worked together to survive or they died.

Eleven ... Why had the bastard said eleven when he had to know there were thirteen of them in total. Who had he wanted alive besides her? Belle kept her head down, Doc matching her pace just two feet to her right. Damn stalker. She'd purposely circled around and still he hadn't lost her. She glanced at Doc, sidestepping so she was nearly pressed up against him.

"The guy said he wanted eleven dead."

"And there's thirteen of us, I know - so either there's a traitor in our midst or someone they want alive pretty badly. How do you know the traitor isn't me?" Doc said, drawing a knife.

"Because I know traitors, I know how they think and how they act - you're not a traitor even though you'd love to beat the shit out of me sometimes."

"And you know that how?" Doc chuckled.

"Cause if you were the traitor, they'd be dead already. Gunnar told me about the train, you have some skills."

"Some?"

Belle shrugged, "You're not that good, ebi."

Doc chuckled under his breath. Shrimp, really? She was the skinny one and she was calling _him _shrimp? He glanced over his shoulder, Toll gave a small whistle in acknowledgement when Doc stopped. Belle had taken up position to Doc's right, her eye searching out any movement.

"Where are we headed?" Billy said.

"We can defend ourselves better at the plane ... but it's too exposed, at least at the base, we've got a chance. Keep walking."

Belle nudged Doc, then made rapid hand gestures.

"Alright, go," Doc murmured. "Just don't do anything stupid."

Belle raised her pistol and aimed it upwards, firing off two shots. "Come and get me, you stupid sons of bitches," she gave the satellite the finger and pulled off her flak vest. She dumped the machete, her ankle-sheathed knives and her pistols. If she was going to fight, she'd do it the way she'd been taught. With her fists. Belle trudged off in a easterly direction, away from the crash site and the Expendables.

"Because that wasn't stupid," John chuckled.

"It wasn't," Doc said bluntly. "How else do you set up an ambush when you don't have the upper hand?"

**_Elsewhere_**

"That was rude," the man frowned. "Let's welcome Isabelle to the club," he chuckled, "Buck, go collect her."

"Colt ..." Buck hesitated.

"Had hubris. She isn't immortal - put a bullet in her leg, haul her to the airstrip and make an example of her. Get Ross and the other two as well. I've changed my mind, let's see how the rats squirm when we cut off their escape route."

"Yes, Sir."

**_Hale Caesar_**

He was on his own. Out of ammo, no backup and the battery in his phone was dead. The radio was dead too. He'd dumped the Kord and the rest of his crap down a small crevice. No sense letting the enemy get hold of it. He'd been on his feet for at least ... God, even his watch was dead. Well, that was useless now too. He pulled the watch off and tossed it into a bush, sweat dripping from his chin. His leg muscles had started to complain, but Caesar wasn't listening.

If he could just get to the fucking base, he'd be right. He could contact Church and bring in some backup ... If anything there worked. The base had to be at least forty plus years old, and after forty years of not being used, the jungle would have begun to reclaim it. Hale yelled to the sky in frustration, why oh why had he split from Toll? He and Toll were partners, yet when it had come down to it they'd gone their separate ways.

**_Belle_**

Ambush? She hadn't said ambush,, she'd said a bush. She needed to pee, and she wasn't doing it with the flock around. Belle hopped over a log, sliding her pants down and letting out a sigh of relief. She'd been holding it in for two hours - no way was she peeing into a bottle with eleven men onboard the same plane. Belle slid her pants up and fastened them, glancing around. There was a bike somewhere ... or a quad bike. Something small and fast - she could barely hear the engine. Whatever it was was heading straight for her - and of course Belle being the arrogant self-sacrificing idiot she was, she'd ditched her weapons. _Smart move, dipshit. Can't outrun something with an engine._

She could still try.

"In position," Doc murmured to himself. Something was jamming the radio signal, and the cellphone signal. How far til he hit the invisible dome wall? He chuckled, reaching for a blade. Belle was just standing there like an idiot ... Two seconds later, she was on the ground. Blood flowed from her right knee, her patella smashed to shit as another bullet tore through her left kneecap.

"Don't move," the pistol touched the back of his head.

"You're making a big fucking mistake," Belle groaned, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

"Yeah, is that what you told yourself when you agreed to work for the CIA?" the man chuckled.

"I wish," Belle breathed through the pain.

The man tilted his head, keeping his pistol on Doc. Leroux wasn't breaking, or even cracking. Did she even know he had a gun to the negro's head?

Belle dragged herself towards the nearest tree, legs completely useless. She shuddered, a foot coming down on her leg. Belle howled in pain as another man forced her right knee into the ground, foot digging into the side of her knee.

"So what do you think, boss?" The man holding the pistol to Doc's head looked towards his companion.

The companion drew his pistol, crouching down and putting all his weight on his foot. Leroux screamed into the dirt, going silent as something cold pressed against her back.

Doc whipped the blade up, burying it in the man's neck and tearing open his throat in one swift movement. He took the pistol from the corpse's hand, frowning at the light weight. No bullets. Son of a -

"Leroux!" Doc shouted.

"Take another step, Doctor Blake," the man said, squeezing the trigger and burying a bullet in Belle's right shoulder, "and the next bullet I put in her will be fatal."

Belle forced to roll herself onto her back, panting as she tried to control the pain. She kicked the man in the side of the leg, bone cracking on impact. His right leg gave way, forcing him to a genuflecting position. Belle kicked again, striking him in the head. She kicked again, his jaw shattering as she smashed her prosthetic!foot into his face. Pain seared through her body with every movement, even just lifting her leg made her want to scream. She kept kicking until Doc dragged her away, her whole body trembling in rage.

"Belle, he's dead ... he's dead!"

"Get to the base and get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you behind, we have a mission to complete."

"I'm going to slow you down, Doc. In these conditions ... I'm as good as dead."

"You weigh like, what, a hundred pounds? You're a twig, I can carry you easy. Now shut up and grab my shoulders."

"You're going to regret this."

"Well I don't want to be locked up in Gitmo, so no, I won't."

"May as well cut my fucking legs off, now they're useless."

"Uh-huh."

"They're CIA by the way."

"The men hunting us?"

"The one whose head I caved in ... I saw him with Church once. Years ago. I may not be good with dates or names, but I'm good with faces. I'm telling you Doc," Belle grunted as she hoisted herself onto his back.

Doc gripped her thighs and hefted her up into a comfortable position, ignoring the obvious awkwardness of her chest against his back. Thank God Barney had left Galgo at home or the Spaniard would have gotten them all killed within half an hour.

Galgo.

Motherfuck. If they could get a message back to the States ... Trench, Bonaparte, Tool and Galgo could come pick them up. It just meant they had to last a few more days.

"You're like lifting a doll," Doc chuckled.

"Yeah, porcelain. Breakable and scary as all fuck."

"You don't like porcelain dolls?"

"Hate ragdolls more, read about how a ragdoll was haunted once ... Well, this demonic spirit was manipulating the doll and its owners. Had one when I was a kid."

"And?"

"I burned the fucking thing after I read the book."

Doc laughed as he walked, "you burned a ragdoll because you read a book?"

"I don't know about you, but you see that shit in real life ... It changes you."

"And you've seen stuff like that?"

"I've seen the tapes, I've never been there when they ... Y'know, exorcise the demon."

Christ. Did Gunnar even know what he was getting himself into? She was one cat short of full-blown crazy.


End file.
